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Thursday, May 2, 2013

Creamy Butternut Squash, Corn and Roasted Garlic and Bell Pepper Soup

Butternut squash is better known as a fall ingredient, but it is available year round and it can be a great summer soup.

This recipe combines the summer flavors of roasted corn and roasted bell peppers. The best part of this dish is that the oven does most of the work, giving you plenty of time to either cook a main dish or just sit back and relax. The butternut squash, corn, bell peppers and garlic are all baked at the same time. The ingredients are then combined in a food processor until smooth and then reheated in a sauce pan on the stove. Top it with bacon and a little salt & pepper to taste and serve.

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and use a little bit of butter to coat the foil. Place the two halves of the butternut squash on the baking sheet with exposed meat face down. Arrange the corn and bell peppers next to the squash and place the sliced open bouquet of garlic with exposed cloves face down onto the baking sheet. Bake the items in the oven for 30 minutes. Transfer the corn cobs to a plate and set aside. Continue to bake the squash, bell pepper and garlic for another ten minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

Step 2: While the squash, corn, bell pepper and garlic bake in the oven, cook the bacon on skillet to a nice crisp. Set the bacon onto a plate lined with paper towel to cool. Crumble the bacon into bits and set aside.

Step 3: Chop the roasted bell pepper and place it into a food processor. Scoop out the softened meat of the butternut squash from its skin and add it to the food processor (discard the skins). Using fingers, squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of its skin and add it to the food processor. Cut the corn kernels from the cobs. Place half the corn kernels in the food processor and set the other half aside. Process the ingredients until well combined (about 20 seconds). Add the cream cheese and broth to the processor and process the ingredients for another 30 seconds or until almost smooth. Transfer the processed ingredients to a large sauce pan and stir in the remaining corn kernels. Bring the soup to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes. Salt and Pepper to taste. Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle some bacon bits on top to serve.